In a network environment, capturing agents or sensors can be placed at various devices or elements in the network to collect flow data and network statistics from different locations. The collected data from the capturing agents can be analyzed to monitor and troubleshoot the network. The data collected from the capturing agents can provide valuable details about the status, security, or performance of the network, as well as any network elements. Information about the capturing agents can also help interpret the data from the capturing agents, in order to infer or ascertain additional details from the collected data. For example, understanding the placement of a capturing agent relative to other capturing agents in the network can provide a context to the data reported by the capturing agents, which can further help identify specific patterns or conditions in the network. Unfortunately, however, information gathered from the capturing agents distributed throughout the network is often limited and may not include certain types of useful information. Moreover, as the network grows and changes, the information can quickly become outdated.